Bombshell: Government and sporting heavyweights at the announcement of the findings of the ACC report into drugs and organised crime links to sport back in February. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

Until now, the main focus of the ACC's report has been on the relationship between sports scientists and athletes. While there have been suggestions criminals had gained access to athletes - potentially by blackmailing them after providing them with performance-enhancing substances - it's the first suggestion club administrators have also been targeted.

The ACC report into doping and the integrity of sport has been released under freedom of information laws to The Australian newspaper, although many of the details - including the names of clubs and players - were blanked out.

Related Content

However, it states: ''Through Project Apeiro and other ACC projects, an increasing number of associations of concern between professional athletes and organised criminal identities are being identified. These relationships include … established criminal identities consistently trying to establish relationships with senior club administrators''.

The report specifically states that the NRL and AFL were areas of concern in relation to ''infiltration through legitimate businesses, contractors and consultants''.

Advertisement

Sponsorships were another area of concern, amid fears little scrutiny was given to the involvement of backers before clubs accepted their cash. ''This was due to the high level of competition for sponsorship dollars between and within the codes, and the fact that many clubs are under significant financial pressure, and conduct little or no due diligence on potential investors and business partners,'' the report says.

The new Cronulla board met NRL chief executive Dave Smith at the Sharks Leagues Club on Wednesday afternoon to discuss a number of issues. Chief among them was the ASADA investigation, which threatens to drag on all season - and potentially into the next - after interviews with players were called off.

Several unsuccessful candidates at the Sharks' recent board elections - including Mark McGaw, Glen Gorrick and Mark Goodwin - have written to Smith claiming the Sharks Unity ticket that swept to power breached intellectual property laws.

''We seek the NRL exercises its authority to demand that the board of directors [the syndicate] immediately stand down and with the calling of a new election,'' they wrote to Smith.

''Further, we request Mr [chief executive Bruno] Cullen to make good his threat of suspension against the syndicate as per the club's constitution rules.''

The developments come as further information from leaked Cronulla reports emerges.

The NRL provided the following briefing note to all club CEOs on Tuesday: ''As the media continues to leak aspects of the Kavanagh report, it is important to remember that this is material that ASADA already has access to as part of its investigation.

''We continue to work closely with ASADA. While they are not proposing further player interviews at this stage they are most certainly continuing with the investigation … We do not have a time-line as to when interviews may recommence.

''The reports in many ways support the NRL's consistent stance that: the issues are serious; they need to be investigated by ASADA; the process needs to be a proper one that respects the rights of all involved.''

Meanwhile, the NRL has said the decisions on standing down and reinstating staff at Cronulla are matters for the club's board alone. ''The NRL has respected the autonomy of the Cronulla Board throughout the process, and has had no influence over the decisions taken by the club,'' it said.